Jorja
Sidney snatches her office door open. She glances at Desiree and Britney then at the window and makes a mental note, then she points to me. “Grab your gear. We have to hurry.”
Tossing my laptop in my satchel then swinging it over my shoulder, I hurry around my desk to follow her.
“Has something happened?” I call after her.
She says as she slows down to push open the door, “I'll explain on the way.” And then she sails right out the front entrance.
Hot on her heels, I glance up at the office window and see not only Desiree and Britney are standing in it, but a crowd of bodies. It looks like the entire staff's watching to see if Jocko is waiting to kiss me.
I slide into the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt. “What’s up?”
She backs out of the parking spot.” Grayson called to tell me to go ahead to his Mom’s for dinner tonight. He was going to be late. Mercy-Life received a call that an Alzheimer’s patient, a man in his seventies, is still missing in Swift City. Apparently, he walked out of his home sometime during the night last night. They believe he's lost in the woods, and a hasty search today hasn’t located him. They need to find him before the sun sets, so they're going to utilize a K9 to track him, and Grayson's going to fly overhead in support of the search.”
“Oh, wow! That's horrible. The poor man. The poor family. They must be worried sick.”
“I told Gray the magazine is going to be featuring everyday heroes this summer and asked if we can witness a rescue firsthand. He said yes, but we had to be there in 15 minutes.”
My throat constricts, but I don’t say a word. I’m afraid of flying.
We're almost to the airport when she asks, “Have you flown in a helicopter before?”
“No.” I smile nervously at her.
“Don’t worry. Grayson's an excellent pilot.”
I nod, knowing I can’t wimp out, even if I want to.
“I know he is. I'll be fine.” I try to sound convincing.
“If the helicopter's too much, you can join the ground search.”
“That sounds like where the story will be. I'll do that.” I change from my office attire to my workout clothes in the front seat as we fly down the road.
She laughs. “Your satchel's equipped for anything, I see.”
I laugh as I remove my heels and put my Converse sneakers on. “I keep telling myself I'll go workout at the gym after work, but I never seem to make it over there.”
When we arrive at Mercy-Life, the helicopter blades are already rotating at high speed. Cochran trots over as we open the car doors and step out.
“You made it just in time. Gray was about to lift off.” He gives Sidney one of the headsets he has in his hand, and she takes off running to the helicopter. I admire how she manages to run in heels without turning an ankle.
“Here's your hearing protection,” he states, but I don’t take it. I look back at Sidney, she's putting hers on as she runs.
He closes the distance to me, pulls them open, and places them on my head. Then he's finding my ears and making sure they're covered. He pats my shoulder and mouths, “Go. Hurry. RUN!”
I take off running to the aircraft. As I close the distance, the helicopter grows. It’s bigger than I thought it would be, and the noise is loud even with the headset on. Sidney's being lifted into it by a member of the crew. She disappears into the belly, and the crewman waits for me to arrive. Ducking my head under the blades, I stop where she vanished and lift my arms. The crewman leans out, reaching for me, and I’m impressed with how massive he's. His big hands encircle my chest, and his strong arms lift my weight as if I weigh nothing. Staring into his face shield, I see my wide-eyed, terrified face.
Oh, Lord. I look as scared as I am!
He sets me down, and I focus on Sidney’s face, trying to draw courage from her calm demeanor. She pats the seat next to her as the crewman closes the door behind me. I sit, slamming my eyes shut tight.
As loud as the helicopter was, it gets even louder as the engine winds up, then it begins to vibrate, no … shake. The massive man sits next to me, and his body spills over into my space. He pulls my headset off one ear and shouts, “SEATBELT.”
I nod but can’t move.
He leans against me as he reaches over, carelessly bumping my boobs, then he begins playing with my ass, and I let him. Too scared to even try to help.
